Be Mine
by Scallisaac
Summary: Cisco finds that candy hearts taste ten times sweeter when the words on them really mean something to you.


**Notes: **This is so unbearably cheesy I don't even know what to tell you. Like pure, cheesy fluff. I just wanted to write something Barry/Cisco for the Cisco ship week and I love this pairing a lot.

**xXx**

Barry is…affectionate, to say the least. It's sort of unfamiliar to Cisco, something that growing up in a family that looked down on him for being sensitive, for not being as 'strong', as rugged, as confident as his older brother, he's never really gotten the chance to explore. And he's got Caitlin, sure, and he loves her, and she'll offer up comfort when she knows he needs it most, but at the same time, even before the particle accelerator explosion, she's never really been the warm-and-fuzzy type. Barry…well, Barry is all that and then some. In his actions. In his words. In his _touch_. That's something that's definitely taken some getting used to—that whole touching thing he's got going on. Cisco simultaneously loves it a lot and really wishes he didn't.

Within months they've already got a secret handshake, and he's prone to rest a reassuring hand on Cisco's arm, or punch his shoulder affectionately. Cisco supposes that maybe this is what having a brother is _supposed_ to feel like—someone who actually supports you, cares about you, actually wants to be around you. Except when he thinks the word _'brother'_ in application to Barry, well…it sort of makes his insides squirm. He's pretty sure 'brother' isn't the kind of thing you call someone who you feel about in the way he feels about Barry.

He remembers, back when Barry was in his coma, telling Felicity that Iris was Barry's 'something'. He supposes that, if that's the case, then Barry issort of _his_ something—all the way down to the whole painful 'unrequited' part of it. Or at least that's what he assumes.

But if Barry can be his someone and he can't be Barry's, at least they have some things between them that are mutual. The suit is the first thing they share, although it's by no means the last. And unrequited _whatever_ aside (he won't call it love, not yet, he won't allow it), 'ours' is a nice word. He likes it. A lot. He's also relatively concerned about the swooping sensation in the pit of his stomach when Barry smiles that stupid, pretty smile of his and echoes his words. _'Our suit.'_ Like it's important to him. Like it _means_ something. Like he doesn't know that Cisco's got it bad.

But the fact is that whether Barry's in the suit or not, Cisco likes the idea that they share something special, something unique just to them. Which is actually so incredibly cheesy it makes his head hurt, but he's in so deep he honestly can't bring himself to care. Plus, Barry is, like, the epitome of cheesy, so he's not too ashamed of it.

When the first Valentine's Day since he's known Barry rolls around he's fully prepared to spend it sulking at home alone, feeling sorry for himself, while Caitlin is out with Ronnie and Iris is on a date with Linda, but by the end of the day Barry is…well Barry is still at S.T.A.R. Labs with him. Which means he probably doesn't have plans either. Cisco doesn't know what comes over him when he asks him to come crash at his place, maybe watch a movie, wallow in being the only single ones out of their friend group together. He's also not sure what to do with himself when Barry says yes.

So that's how he gets here, watching the Valentine's Day special on ABC Family—_50 First Dates _is currently playing, which he probably would enjoy if he wasn't trying so hard not to stare at the person sitting next to him—with Barry at his side, pelting him with little candy sweethearts every commercial break from the huge stock pile of sweets they'd bought on their way here.

"Barry, you are wasting perfectly good candy, here!" Cisco whines when he feels another piece bounce off his head.

"You can still eat them," Barry insists, "it's not like they're hitting the floor. Well, at least most of them aren't. Unless your couch is really _that _dirty."

"I'll have you know that my couch perfectly sanitary, thankyouverymuch. There's nothing impure that goes on here, if that's what you're implying. I, unlike some people, don't try to get it on with people on the sofa."

"That was _one time_!" Barry protests with a scandalized look on his face, turning red, "I can't believe I even told you about that. I wasn't even the one who initiated it—that was all Linda. And besides, nothing even ended up happening!"

"Sure, dude."

Barry splutters indignantly but Cisco shushes him, waving an arm in front of him and gesturing to the TV. "Just watch the movie, will you? It's back on," he laughs, shaking his head in exasperation.

Barry grumbles but doesn't protest further, and Cisco directs his attention back to the TV—although in truth, he's not really paying attention either, not with Barry this close to him, with their legs nearly touching, with his stomach in knots. Cisco sighs in frustration, forcing himself to get a grip. Not even a minute passes before yet another next candy heart plunks off his head, rolls off and gets caught in his hair. This time, he pinches it between his thumb and forefinger and figures _why not_, bringing it up to his lips to eat. He doesn't even particularly like these things, but he hates seeing candy go to waste—and then the writing on it catches his eye, and he freezes just as he's about to put it in his mouth. The heart is pink, and the letters stand out in a faded sort of red, and he doesn't even know why he's noticing these details because the only thing that matters is the message written on it: '_Be mine._'

He blinks, feeling a momentary pang in his chest at the words. He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts, and tosses the candy into his mouth, forcing himself to forget about it. It tastes bitter and stale on his tongue, even though he knows it should be sweet. It doesn't mean anything. All of those stupid candy hearts have messages like that on them—it's just his luck he'd stop to read the one he wishes he could pretend were true, considering who it's coming from.

He tries to stop himself from glancing over at Barry, but he can't help but notice him moving in the periphery of his vision. He's about to ask what he's doing, but stops himself when in the corner of his eye he catches sight of Barry rooting through the industrial-sized bag of sweethearts in his lap. Curious, Cisco attempts to be subtle as he sneaks a look at him, intending to look away quickly, but when he sees what Barry is doing he freezes. Barry's tongue is poking out between his lips, pursued in concentration, as he plucks a candy heart from the bag, brings it up close to his face and squints to read what's on it. He frowns, and then tosses it into his other hand, to the steadily growing pile resting in his open palm.

Before Barry can notice him staring he hastily looks away, and then at the little candy hearts scattered all around him—lost in the folds of his clothes, on the couch, the ones that have tumbled onto the floor. As discreetly as possible, he plucks one that's fallen onto his right knee—this one yellow with purple writing—and examines it carefully, his heart doing a little back-flip when he reads the words: _'Be mine'_. It's hard to keep his cool as he scrambles to gather up the rest, purples and pinks and yellows and greens and the like, each time bringing them close to his face to read their message and each time getting the same one.

_Be mine._

It takes a few seconds for Cisco's brain to catch up with his racing heart, to tear his eyes away from the rainbow assortment of colored hearts in his palm and focus on his own, because this isn't a coincidence after all, it can't be—which means that _Barry is specifically picking out the sweethearts that say those two little words. On purpose_. Those two simple, beautiful little words. His grin is huge and he's already stopped caring about being subtle when he feels another small object hit his arm, and sure enough, it's the same.

"I get the impression that you're trying to tell me something, Barry," Cisco smirks, finally tearing his gaze away from the candy in his hand and looking over at his friend, who's smiling that infuriatingly perfect smile of his.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Barry grins back at him, gaze flickering to the collection of little hearts he's got in his hands.

"Okay then," Cisco rolls his eyes, but then that familiar doubt is creeping back in. He hesitates, bites his lip, and blurts out, "Seriously though…do you…do you really want that? With me? Because I…well, I really…" he trails off when he sees Barry nod his head, and his stomach flutters at the sincerity in his eyes.

"I think I've been pretty obvious about it, honestly. And Caitlin calls _me_ the oblivious one."

Cisco thinks back, his mind replaying memories from the past few months, remembering all the times they've hung out, all the hugging, all the looks and cheesy pep talks and _God,_ all the touching. He can't even be properly offended because yeah, in retrospect, Barry's never really been very subtle. About anything. Still, he finds himself struggling to believe it, mostly because he _wants_ so much to believe it, and the universe hasn't exactly been great with giving him what he wants, lately.

"_Why?_" he can't stop himself from asking, hating how small his voice sounds.

Barry makes a face at him like he can't believe he's even asking, but then his eyes go soft, and he seems to understand. He opens his mouth to respond, closes it, and pauses, looks at the handful of candy he's got in his own hand, and sifts through it before he finds what he's looking for. He presses the little candy heart into Cisco's hand and watches him expectantly as Cisco brings it up to eye-level to read.

'_U R A 10'_

Cisco lets out a burst of laughter and shakes his head, popping the candy into his mouth. This time, it doesn't taste stale at all. In fact, he doesn't think he's ever tasted anything sweeter—but that's probably more to do with the actual message than the candy itself. "Thanks, man."

Barry gives him a thumbs up, but then his smile falters a little, and Cisco notices the blush that's starting to creep into his cheeks as he opens his mouth again. "So…are you…do you…?" he tries to say, and Cisco punches his shoulder affectionately.

"Well, duh. Do one of those little hearts say _'yes'_ on them? Just to keep up with this thing we've got going one here."

Before Barry can answer, he snatches the bag away himself, pulling out a handful and looking through the ones he's got, searching for his answer. His grin widens when he comes across one he's not exactly looking for but that works even better.

"Here," he says, tossing it at Barry's nose and rolling his eyes when he catches it with ease—the whole super speed thing and all, of course. Barry's smile is huge as he reads it, mouthing the words _'let's kiss'_, and when he turns to face Cisco, his eyes are bright and eager.

"I'm totally down for that."

As it turns out, Cisco isn't really all that concerned with keeping his couch pure, after all.


End file.
